Commuter Apprecitation Day, a two-hour informational event held on Feb.20 to address the needs of commuter students and introduce them to campus resources, has come and gone. My hope is that the focus on commuter student issues isn’t just relegated to one day, but is always on the minds of NSU’s adminstrators.
College can already be extremely difficult for many students, without the added difficulties of commuting to and from school in a metropolitan area like South Florida. Commuter students often feel at a disadvantage when it comes to getting involved in campus activities and building a social network at school. Opportunities for interactions with fellow students are sometimes limited to the classroom and passing glances or waves in the parking lot.
To address this, NSU added commuter student involvement to the responsibilities of the formerly named Office of Orientation, now called the Office of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement. This is a good first step, on the part of adminstrtation and hopefully more will follow.
The office aims to deepen commuter students’ connection to campus. It also provides services and support to these students, including assistantance with carpooling, information about where to find the cheapest gas in town, and bus and Tri-Rail schedules.
Commuter students interested in getting involved in campus activities can make connections to their Commuter Student Representative of the Undergraduate Student Government Association, and join the Commuter Student Organization, through the Office of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement.
As a commuter student, I travel a great distance back and forth from school, and getting involved can sometimes be inconvenient; I’m not on campus during important events, programs or activities.
For those students who attend classes only in the evening, like I once did, their alienation from daily campus life often goes unnoticed, as they remain unaware of all that NSU has to offer — including sports, activities and student organizations.
My expectation is that the Office of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement will continue to make college life just a little easier for those who drive to campus every weekday. That is why the Office of Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement’s mission must be about reaching out to commuter students of all ages and interests. NSU is not a traditional four-year institution, like Florida State University or the University of Florida, whose great majority of students specifically relocate to attend those universities. The majority of students at NSU, including those in graduate programs, commute to campus.
Special attention must be focused on the issues that affect commuter students. With rising gas prices, highway construction and a limited number of parking spaces available, the obstacles that these students face can be challenging.
